Texas Panhandle Farmers Face Economic Pressure as Costs Rise
By Drew Powell
Tuesday, October 13, 2026
Texas Panhandle farmers are grappling with rising costs and declining commodity prices, prompting some to question their future in agriculture.
"Do I stay in this business or do I exit?" is the weighty question many producers are contemplating.
As Harold Artho expressed, the current situation presents a challenge:
“This year is going to be a bad year, but you’re saying next year is going to be good because this was bad. You have to have an optimistic view of life or you’re not going to be farming for long.”
Producer Ryan Wieck highlighted the disparity between input costs and crop prices:
“All of our inputs have increased because of inflation, and our commodities that we’re selling haven’t followed the same inflation curve. If you’re a smaller producer and trying to raise a family on land as a small producer, it’s really difficult in today’s times.”
Careful planning and crop diversification can help farmers break even or achieve modest profits, but they advocate for higher commodity prices and reduced input costs.
“Corn, silage, wheat, cotton — any commodity that we’re growing — we need the value of that crop to increase greatly. We also need our input costs to come back to a reasonable level,” Wieck emphasized.
Artho, reflecting on the year, noted that for the first time in 55 years of farming, he did not take his combine out due to the lack of wheat to harvest, adding that he also lacks summer crops to bring in.
Farmers remain hopeful that winter moisture in 2027 will improve prospects. They believe wet snow, rich in nitrogen, could benefit winter wheat.